Amazon Prime Free Trial
FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button and confirm your Prime free trial.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited FREE Prime delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample
Marvel: What If...Loki Was Worthy? (A Loki & Valkyrie Story) Paperback – October 22, 2024
Purchase options and add-ons
So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched the trickster god sow chaos. But . . . what if Loki saved Asgard from Tony Stark’s revenge?
Thor—Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Wielder of Mjolnir—is dead. And Loki is responsible.
It was meant to be only a joke—tampering with the Destroyer, changing Thor’s course to Midgard—a bit of mischief with a chance of maiming. But Loki’s harmless prank spiraled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. The city was saved, at the cost of Thor’s life.
Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the “Buffalo Bills.” It’s a meager existence, far from Asgard’s grand courts, but he finds his new friend, Brian the Gecko, a much more engaging companion than the sycophants back home. It’s a true meeting of the minds.
Loki is the God of Mischief—but he knows, deep down, that he never truly deserved to stand next to their father’s golden child, Thor, as two true sons of Odin. Yet he cannot endure his exile in peaceful isolation. A Valkyrie—Hel-bent on carrying out her oath to Thor—barges into Loki’s trailer home with his brother’s final words from the beyond: a plea to find a certain Dr. Jane Foster and pass the hammer Mjolnir on to its rightful heir.
While Loki struggles to fulfil his brother’s last request, the far-reaching consequences of his fatal prank return to haunt him. Blinded by grief over those he lost in the chaos wrought by Asgard, Iron Man vows revenge on those who consider themselves gods. Determined to protect Earth from the might of this unpredictable alien power, Stark forges Asgard’s own weaponry into a lethal suit of armor, set on eradicating any tether between their worlds—consequences be damned. When Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House Worlds
- Publication dateOctober 22, 2024
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.67 x 8.23 inches
- ISBN-100593724372
- ISBN-13978-0593724378
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Asgard
Now Loki Laufeyson came close to the cruel deed itself, and his hands were shaking.
Deep within the spires of Valaskjalf, his father lay before him encased in a wide tube of pure gold. The room glittered from the shine of it, from the halo around the sleeping figure, the quality of the light ever shifting, one moment soothing and the next bouncing with mischievous flickers and winks. It was gold all around them, lending the room the sense that it was a place out of time. A place of dreams.
A place where anything, really, was possible.
Loki knelt, both elbows digging hard into the kneecap for purchase, hands clasped, though his fingers continued to tremble. He delighted in a moment of destiny, but never worried about the weightiness of consequence. What were consequences to a god? They were little more than inconveniences. And anyway, ruminating ruined the fun. Even this, his most dangerous gambit so far, ought not to be humorless. No, humorless was this god before him, Odin Borson, King of Asgard, his adoptive father. This graying slab of a god, pitted with scars from innumerable battles, adorned with a beard like frosted white lichen. Stony. Unmovable. Odin found Loki’s jokes and pranks tedious, because for all his power and longevity, his father was a mirthless boar-pig.
What a waste.
“What is the shape of your dream, Odin?” Loki asked. He stood, feeling the blood rush through his legs to his toes. “I can’t tell you the shape of mine, for where there should be color and riot and symbol, there is nothing. Once, I dreamed of a man’s silhouette as he stood over me, and I thought it to be you, but now I’m not so sure. My dreams are empty, Father, so I must create my life to be full.”
The door behind him opened and shut, and Loki hunched up.
He glanced over his shoulder, then regarded Odin again. He smiled, faintly, as if briefly distracted by an amusing and distant memory. Clumsy footfalls brought the dwarf to his side. She was of Nidavellir, a brilliant mind sorely overlooked, a surgical solution disguised as a blunt instrument. Loki had discovered her during a day of petitions before the royal court, an exercise his brother Thor detested and avoided whenever possible. As was so often the case, it was left to Queen Frigga to hear the complaints of the highborn citizens and the low and adjudicate them. Loki enjoyed sitting in on these court mundanities, finding value in the injustices brought before the queen—in such times, folk often let their masks slip, driven by sorrow or outrage to say more than was strictly required. Secrets. Crimes. Shames. Of course, Thor saw no worth in that currency. How could he? The golden child of golden gods never would wade into the darker currents running through the common streets and sewers of their society. Thor had no use for secrets or shame.
Loki knew better.
“Did you bring it?” he asked.
“I did.” Kvisa Röksdóttir, heaped in gray furs and leather and chains, produced a slowly pulsing crystal from inside the pouch hanging from her wide belt. The smell of the forges hung about her, a strangely sulfurous perfume. She held up the crystal to him, soot-stained lines of worry etched into her forehead. Before Loki could take the crystal, Kvisa hesitated, tugging it back. “My prince . . .”
“Is it him?” Loki nodded toward Odin. “Ah. His presence bothers you.”
She flinched. “It does feel strange to be doing this here. He was not the one who rejected my petition.”
“Queen Frigga speaks for him while he lies in the Odinsleep,” Loki said, impatient. He reached for the crystal again, but she denied him, closing the gem in her fist and clutching it to her chest. Ungrateful. Impudent. A serpent uncoiled in his stomach, and with it, the ugly but understandable urge to simply take the crystal from her. He could do it.
He should do it.
“We made a deal. To flinch now is cowardice.” His voice was a growl. His hands curled into fists. Ancient, angry magic gathered to him. He wasn’t going to have his lovingly crafted plan unravel, not now, not after he had just knelt by his father’s side and gloated.
“I don’t know,” Kvisa replied, shying away.
“You do know.” Loki sighed and let his better nature have a rare win. It might have been kinder just to rip the crystal out of her grasp, but there was more pleasure in gaining it correctly. Correctly, with manipulation. She had to give it freely. After all, a piece of Kvisa’s very soul was bound to it. “With your genius discovery,” he whispered, holding out his hand for what he was owed. His vivid green eyes flashed. “We will right many wrongs. Do not flinch, my friend.”
Kvisa didn’t look terribly convinced. Shifting from foot to foot, she gnawed her lower lip and glanced at the sleeping form of Odin. “Can he . . . Can he not hear us?”
With a flourish, Loki turned and banged on the glimmering barrier protecting his father. There was no commotion from within, though the noise echoed for a moment around the chamber.
“See?” Loki laughed to himself. “No one’s home.”
Gods, but she was a stubborn stone of a woman. Kvisa merely frowned, still clutching (petulantly, in his opinion) the crystal to her throat. And so Loki leapt onto the golden bed itself, landing on the barrier, the brightly dancing light bending around him, throwing irregular shapes against the walls and ceiling. Kvisa gazed up at him, already short, but now even smaller as he stood triumphantly on top of his father’s motionless body.
“Speak, petitioner, what is your complaint?”
Kvisa’s emerald eyes widened, and she pointed to herself.
“Yes, you. You, the petitioner.”
She smirked, blushing. Was she toying with him? That snake inside hissed, and venom burned through his veins.
“Svansi, the leader of my forge’s cohort, refuses to integrate my new design for the Destroyer . . .” As the dwarf spoke, she seemed to gain momentum and confidence, her words coming faster, tumbling over one another as she let the hand holding the gem fall to her side. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched it. “He is a fool, and so is the queen! My design is superior in every way, lending far greater control over the Destroyer. Perhaps . . . Perhaps there are minor issues of safety to consider, but such things are the enemy of innovation. To cling to the old way is stubbornness, and our cohort suffers for Svansi’s small-mindedness. He must be taught a lesson, for he will not listen, the queen will not listen . . .” Her eyes drifted to Loki, and a true smile appeared. No more smirking. “But Loki Laufeyson listens.”
“Yes. Yes. Let your words darken Odin’s dreams.” Loki laughed, elated. With his right boot, he stomped down hard on Odin’s head through the barrier. “Say it again! Louder!”
“Loki Laufeyson listens!” Kvisa cried, matching his joy. “He is a god of vision!”
He brought his foot down on his father’s face again and again, and together they laughed. “The only pity, my dear Kvisa, is that Odin will not be awake to see it.”
“He will know in time,” said the dwarf. Her eyes twinkled with the light blazing from the shielded bed. “Your better cleverness will be known, and so will mine. We will both have our revenge.”
At last. At last. She raised her callus-hardened hand and opened it, offering him the crystal. It pulsed with temptation. Loki did not flinch. He took the thing from her, a coil of whispers surging up from the gem, wrapping around his arm. It was Kvisa’s voice in the whispers, but ghostly, as if her soul was screaming.
“Thor departs on the morrow,” Loki murmured, fascinated by the cold power seething within the crystal. The plan would move forward now that he possessed the final piece of it. “My idiot brother thinks he is bound for Jotunheim, charged with no more than a simple patrol, yet he and the Destroyer will never reach their intended destination and the chaos will be breathtaking to behold.” Loki glanced down past his feet, staring at the face of his sleeping father. “Odin, old boy, your favored child will finally know shame, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
“Come!” he called, leaping down from the bed. “Come, there is much to prepare.” Loki could not wait to begin, taking gulping strides, luminous with the lure of imminent deviancy. “We must make certain that this new control system works properly and do all the fussing and so on now.”
Kvisa struggled to keep up, meeting him at the door. Glancing at his father one last time, Loki slid the crystal into his pocket. The ancient magic of before leapt to his grasp; he weaved and controlled with expert and eager hands.
“How will we reach the Destroyer?” she asked, brow furrowed. “It is never unguarded.”
“You know me better than that, Kvisa, I think of everything.”
Product details
- Publisher : Random House Worlds (October 22, 2024)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0593724372
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593724378
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.67 x 8.23 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #311,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,197 in Superhero Science Fiction
- #3,502 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Books)
- #5,641 in Paranormal Fantasy Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
MADELEINE ROUX is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Asylum series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is also the author of the House of Furies series, and several titles for adults, including Salvaged and Reclaimed. She has written for Star Wars, World of Warcraft, Critical Role, and Dungeons & Dragons.
Madeleine lives in Seattle, Washington with her partner and beloved pups.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoyed the book and story. They found it engaging with unexpected moments and great character development.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book. They find it an enjoyable read with great storytelling and unexpected cameos. The book provides a solid introduction to the Whatif? novel series and offers insights into Marvel characters.
"...I really enjoy the insight that the author has on each Marvel character that is in this book and the out come on what's to fold out." Read more
"...This book is halarious and entertaining while simultaneously leaving me to be an emotional wreck. Love it. 10/10 would read again" Read more
"...I'm happy to say this book blew me away with how enjoyable it was. I laughed, I teared up a few times, it was so great. It had unexpected cameos...." Read more
"...I ended up giving this book and book was so good I couldn't stop reading it. I love this book it was a good 10/10 for me." Read more
Customers like the character development. They say the characters are on point.
"...I absolutely adore the story and the characters are on POINT!..." Read more
"...-ups" as it tackles real emotions, big ideas, and imbues well known characters with depth and dimensionality...." Read more
"...And yes, Loki does hold Mulnir and is worthy. So there's a ton of character development...." Read more
"...I loved this!!! The characters are beautiful and accurate to both MCU and Comics. It's just a really great adventure!!" Read more
Reviews with images
Looking forward to devouring this book but...
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024I have to admit that this new Marvel series is absolutely incredible. I really enjoy the insight that the author has on each Marvel character that is in this book and the out come on what's to fold out.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024I am a huge fan of loki and the mcu and this book gave me everything I wanted and more. I will say the story starts off slow and is a bit hard to get into at first but after a bit oh mah gosh is it addicting. I finished this book within 3 days (I read slow bec of my dyslexia and plus I have work) and let me just say I had moments when I screamed internally and probably externally in excitement this book almost had me in tears..which I am an emotional wreck but still. I absolutely adore the story and the characters are on POINT! This book is halarious and entertaining while simultaneously leaving me to be an emotional wreck. Love it. 10/10 would read again
- Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024I opened the box to find my brand new release had a torn dust cover. It's not the most important aspect of a book, but it does lower the amount of stars I would love to give this book to have received a damaged copy right out of the gate.
4.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to devouring this book but...I opened the box to find my brand new release had a torn dust cover. It's not the most important aspect of a book, but it does lower the amount of stars I would love to give this book to have received a damaged copy right out of the gate.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024Let me preface this by saying I'm a huge Marvel/MCU fan and What If was one of my favorite comics growing up. That being said, I didn't know the author and wasn't sure how all this would transfer to a novelization. So, I went into this with high hopes but tempered expectations. I'm happy to say this book blew me away with how enjoyable it was. I laughed, I teared up a few times, it was so great. It had unexpected cameos. And I am not sure but I feel like there might be a larger story running through this whole series. Couldn't be happier with this book and I can't wait for more. If you are interested enough in this book to be reading this review, I can almost guarantee you will enjoy it.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024I've been an MCU fan since it started but I've never read a comic. So one day I just bought a bunch of comics and bought this with it because I thought it also was a comic. I was at first disappointed it wasn't a comic because I felt I wouldn't have the attention span to read it because I haven't read a book in about 12 years and I kinda just wanted to return it but I just gave it a try. I ended up giving this book and book was so good I couldn't stop reading it. I love this book it was a good 10/10 for me.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2024amazing
- Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024Lol. I'm sure this story is amazing but I thought it was a graphic novel. Something to enjoy over a quick read through. I don't have time in my life to read a regular book so onto my shelf of "books to be read". 😄
- Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024I'm a casual fan of the MCU, but a big fan of Madeleine Roux's books. This book did not disappoint! Can only describe it as "Marvel for grown-ups" as it tackles real emotions, big ideas, and imbues well known characters with depth and dimensionality. The structure is also very interesting, as the novel toggles between a few different POVs.
Highly recommend this to anyone who likes Marvel and wants to see some of its most entertaining character reimagined with full human interiors in real emotional conflict.
Top reviews from other countries
- Lauren ScottReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story!
Straight up a brilliant well written book with an amazing story. Perfect book for a Loki fan! absolutely love the cover art too, beautiful.
- RoamReviewed in Australia on May 19, 2024
3.0 out of 5 stars Book is actually a novel.
Book is a novel and doesn’t say anywhere that it is!!!
- MinaReviewed in Japan on May 5, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Arrived early!
It came earlier than expected, but sadly took a hit on the cover.
Mina
Reviewed in Japan on May 5, 2024
Images in this review - Parlatt & BaileyReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2025
4.0 out of 5 stars What If.....
Another great book in the range, my son and I enjoyed it and are kicking ourselves for not buying it sooner!
- Domini ThorpeReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2024
2.0 out of 5 stars Really disappointing, out of character, I've read better fanfic!
Loki is completely out of character, the story is just boring and there's no real character motivation or development. Really disappointing. Got about 3 chapters in and gave up.